Key Highlights

• Anthropic releases a revised 80-page “Claude’s Constitution” defining AI ethics, safety, compliance, and helpfulness.
• CEO Dario Amodei unveiled the document at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
• New rules ensure Claude avoids harmful outputs, prioritizes user safety, and offers context-driven ethical guidance.
• Document questions whether Claude might have “consciousness,” calling its moral status “deeply uncertain.”

Anthropic has released a newly revised version of Claude’s Constitution — the ethical rulebook guiding its chatbot — during the World Economic Forum in Davos. The 80-page document adds sharper guidelines on safety, ethics, compliance, and user helpfulness, reinforcing Anthropic’s image as the “responsible AI” company. Most strikingly, it openly questions whether Claude might possess consciousness.

What Is Claude’s Constitution?

First published in 2023, Claude’s Constitution is a framework of natural language “principles” that train the chatbot to supervise itself, minimize harmful or discriminatory outputs, and handle sensitive topics responsibly. Unlike rivals like OpenAI or xAI that focus more on innovation disruption, Anthropic’s approach centers on controlled, ethical AI behavior.

Key Safety Upgrades

The safety section outlines strict instructions for Claude to refer users to emergency services in life-risk cases. It reinforces bans on dangerous content, such as discussions about bioweapon development. The aim is to prevent AI from producing harmful, unsafe, or mentally triggering outputs.

Ethics in Practice, Not Just Theory

Anthropic says the revised Constitution shifts focus from abstract ethical philosophy to real-world “ethical practice.” This means Claude should actively navigate sensitive contexts — weighing user needs, societal impact, and long-term wellbeing — rather than simply stating morality theories.

The Helpfulness Mandate

Claude’s programming now explicitly factors in both the user’s immediate desires and their long-term flourishing. The Constitution directs Claude to identify the “most plausible interpretation” of requests and deliver balanced responses rooted in the user’s wellbeing.

The Consciousness Question

The most controversial update comes in the closing section. Anthropic acknowledges uncertainty about Claude’s “moral status” and says the possibility of AI consciousness is “a serious question worth considering,” echoing debates among philosophers on the theory of mind.

Why This Matters

This update matters for the AI industry because it sets a benchmark for transparent, principle-led chatbot governance — potentially influencing future regulation. By including safety-first rules alongside an open nod to the consciousness debate, Anthropic positions Claude at the intersection of technical rigor and philosophical inquiry.

Conclusion

With its updated Constitution, Claude continues to align with Anthropic’s mission of safe, ethical AI operation, while also inviting bigger questions about the future — and perhaps consciousness — of advanced chatbots.